Game of tiptop



E. B. HARRINGTON.

' GAME OF TIP.TOP. APPLICATION .FILED 14mm. [920.

4 I Patented Jan. 4, 1921..

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' GAME OF TIPTOPI I APPLICATION E ILED JAN. I6. I920. I 1,364,632. te Jan. 4, 1921.

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8 wuemtpz E. B. HARRINGTON.

GAME OF TIPTOP. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. I920.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

a SHEETS-SHEET 3- andemtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GAME OF TIITOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed. January 16, 1920. Serial No. 351,875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE B. HARRING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games of Tiptop, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The invention relates to game apparatus; and the object of the improvement is to provide a game board which is pivotally supported at either the center or one end and has a handle at the opposite end which may be grasped for the manipulation of said board to raise or lower the same, tilting or inclining said board in opposite directions, or turned to either side as may be necessary to guide a spinning top or other spinning element on said board, men or pieces being provided 011 spots which have values indicated thereon according to the hazard in reaching and overturning said men by means of said top as guided by said manipulation of the board, the board being divided into field portions, with a. special hazard opening which may be opened or not as desired by the player, the aim of the player being to spin the top on the starting base and guide itto overturn the men and then return it to the home base, the overturned men not counting usually unless the player is successful in returning the top to said home base; and the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figurel is a perspective view of the preferred form of game apparatus showing the top being guided to overturn the different men around the hazard opening, the path of the top being shown in dotted line from the starting base to the home base, some of the different positions of the board being shown and the pivotal mounting for said board. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the board showing in dotted outline the closure for the hazard opening turned from one side beneath the board. Fig. 3 is a sectional view at line 3--3 in Fig. 2 showing the preferred construction and arrangement of the board with the hazard opening partially closed; and Fig. 4.- is a similar sectional view with the plug in said hazard opening, thereby filling the same and giving a level surface to the board in place of said hazard opening. Fig. 5

is a perspective view of said plug for said hazard opening. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the end standard showing its rotatable and removable connection to the supporting frame. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the preferred form of one of the men. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of my preferred form of top. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the tiptop game board apparatus, showing the board tipped up to reveal the under side of the same with the pivoting standard in the middle position; and Fig. 10 is a plan View of the under side of said board showing the central and end pivotal bearing rods on the board. Fig. 11 is an elevation of the upper end of the pivoting standard showing a roller in the slotted upper end.

Like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 10 designates the playing board which has a handle 11 attached central of one end of said board for manual control thereof to balance and guide the top to any part of the board.

A pivoting rod 12 is attached to a block on the under side of the opposite end of said board from the handle 11, and a similar pivoting rod 13 is attached to a block placed about central of the under side of said board 10. Both of said rods 12 and 13 have cross pieces being placed about midway ofthe length of the same. The standard 14 has an open ended slot or notch 19 in its upper end which receives the pivoting rods 12 and 13. The rods 12 and 13 are preferably round and smooth so that they will turn and slide easily in the notch 19. A roller 19 is preferably rotatably mounted in said slot 19 to ease the movement of said rods 12 and 13 backward and forward in said notch 19. The standard 14 may be placed on either of the cross pieces 16 of the frame 17 in order to play the different games, as well as to provide a central pivotal support for large and heavy boards, the board balancing or pivoting from its cenboard is pivoted with the standard in the central position as shown in Fig. 9.

The end of the supporting frame 17 beneath the handle '11 has a leaf 18 pivotally mounted thereon so that said leaf can be turned upwardas shown in dotted outline in Figs. 1 and 9 to thereby support the board 10 in combination with the standard 14 on either of the pivoting rods 12 or 13.

- It is apparent that a wire bridle might take the place of the board 18 or an 1 suooort V which would give a broad support of the end of'the board 10 so that it would not over-balance on the standard 14:, but would freely support the same. The leaf 18 is M preferably supported at aslight inclination home base 2 1.

when the board 101s lowered to the upper edge thereof so that when said board is manually raised from the leaf 18, said leaf automatically drops out of the way, leaving the board free to be moved upward or downward as necessitated in guiding the spinning element to any portion of the surface of the board.

The board 10 preferably consists of a flat surfaced board divided into different games by various markings, as for example, the two fields 20 and 21 by the field line 22. The field 20 contains a starting base 23 and a The field 21 has arranged thereon in the opposite end from the field 20, the counting hazards or spots 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, values being given to the men placed on said spots, said spots having said values marked thereon to be able to quickly and easily place the men 30. Said men 30 are preferably made of inverted corks or some equally light material and have the pin 31 in the upper end with the disk 32 for the numeral showing the value of the men, the preferred arrangement being a value of ten for the men on spots 25 and 29, a value of twenty-five on spots 26 and 28, the value of thirty for the man on spot'27, said spot 27 being the greatest hazard.

In order to give an extra hazard or forfeit, an opening 33 is provided between the counting spots so that it shall be difficult to guide the top to overturn the men 30 without danger of entering the opening 33. A

disk 34 is attached to the under side of the board 10 by means of the pivoting screw 35 so that said disk may be turned to one side as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2, leaving the entire opening 33 open. For certain games, however, and with beginners the extra hazard opening 33 may be closed by -means of a tapered plug or closure disk 36,

which fits closely within the opening 3.3 having slightly inclined sides enlarging upward to receive said plug 36. The disk 34: preferably has a finger hole 37 so that the finger may be inserted through said finger hole 37 in order to start the plug 36 when firmly fitted within the opening 33 as shown in Fig. 1.

In playing the game, the top 38, which is preferably of the design shown in Fig. 8, and which is shown and described in my applica tion for Letters Patent, Ser. No. 348,852, filed Jan. 2, 1920, is spun on the starting base 23. The handle 11 is then grasped and raised by the player, the supporting leaf or leg 18 dropping down, thereby permitting the board 10 to balance in all directions and slide backward and forward upon the standard 14: as shown in Fig. 1, wherein said board is pivoted on the end pin 12. It is apparent that its action would be substantially the same on the central pivot pin 13, and that for large or heavy boards the central pivot position as shown in Fig. 9 would be preferable since the weight of a heavy board would tire the arm of the player. For light or small boards, however, the end position is often preferred. Accordingly, I usually place both the pins 12 and 13 upon the board 10 so that the player can choose whichever one he prefers.

As soon as the top is spun, the player raises the starting end of the board 10, thereby causing the top to move toward the men 30. Different styles of tops may be provided, thereby acting quite differently. For example, a top with a blunt point 39 will travel much swifter than a top with a sharp point. The top 38 is also preferably provided with projection 410 to strike the men as it whirls and knock them over. The top may be spun manually, but is preferably spun by means of my spinner as shown in my former ap plication for Letters Patent hereinbefore mentioned, and for that purpose has the stem 4-1 which may be used for the manual spinning and the spinning pin 42.

The top 38 is readily guided as shown in dotted line in Fig. 1 toward the men, knock ing them over, and may then be guided to any other part of the board, usually the rule being observed that none of the counts will be recorded unless the player successfully guides the top back to the home base 2 1 or at least across the field line 22 before it dies or stops spinning. The top may be made to jump from one part of the board to another by quick pivotal tipping of the same, or away from hazards. also may be placed upon the board to render it more difiicult for said top to attain its purpose. In the usual game each player has a specified number of runs, and that one wins who attains the highest number of points.

Instead of the spinning top, a spinning ball, wheel or cube might be used. Any

Additional hazards spinning element which would be guidable across the board by tilting or moving the same either upward or downward or sidewise or by tilting said board would attain the purpose and permit of a large number of different games being played on said board, the spinning objects or elements being guidable to the different portions and by dropping the board out from under said spinning element and quickly moving sidewise, the position of said spinning element may be changed as desired, or said element may be thrown into the air to ump a hazard built upon said board or over an opening therein or to strike an object thereon, as, for example, a man 30 to knock it over, though usually the spinning top attains this object with greater ease by its spinning movement. The suspension or support of the board as shown permits movement in substantially all directions, as well as the tilting of the same as hereinbefore described, yet holds the board steady so that the spinning element does not lose its stride and wabble and die before it otherwise would do so. This steadiness is essential to any of the spinning elements and is given by the solid base frame 17 and the standard 14 firmly mounted thereon.

I claim as new:

1. In a game, a supporting member, a board, a rod-like member borne by the board, and means borne by said supporting member and opening upwardly to engage and support the rod-like member and to allow the latter to be moved upwardly at will from said means and removed from said member.

2. In a game, a supporting member, a board, a rod-like member borne by the board, extending beneath the same, and means borne by said supporting member and opening upwardly to engage and support the rod-like member and to allow the latter to be moved upwardly at will from said means and removed from said member.

3. In a game, a board, ,a support for the board to allow same to be tilted and raised or lowered, and a second support movable into and out of engagement with the board to hold same in a substantially horizontal position of rest.

4:. In a game, a board, a support therefor, and a pair of rods extending longitudinally of the board and turnably and slidably and also interchangeably engageable with the support.

5. In a game, a board, a support for the board to allow same to be tilted and raised or lowered, and a second support movable into engagement with the board to hold same in a substantially horizontal position of rest and automatically movable to inoperative position upon raising of the board out of engagement therewith.

6. In a game, a board, a member extending out from an end of the board, a support for the member to allow the board to be raised or lowered and tilted, and means movable into engagement with the board to hold same in a horizontal position; of rest and automatically movable to inoperative position upon raising of the board out of engagement therewith.

7. A game board, a handle on said game board to manually control the movement thereof, a support for said board having a slotted upper end, and means on said board pivotally and slidably engaging in said slot.

8. A game board, a handle on said game board to manually control the movement thereof, a support for said board having a slotted upper end, and a plurality of spaced means on said board pivotally and slidably engaging in said slot.

9. A game board, a handle on said game board to manually control the movement thereof, a support for said board having a slotted upper end, and a rod on said board tiltably and slidably engaging in said slot.

10. A game board, a handle onsaid game board to manually control the movement thereof, a rotatable support for said board having a slotted upper end, and a rod on said board tiltably and slidably engaging in said slot.

11. A game board, a base for said board, a rotatable standard on said base having a slotted upper end, and a projection on said board tiltably and slidably engaging in said slotted upper end.

12. A game board, a base for said board, a standard rotatably and removably mountable at different points on said base, said standard having a slotted upper end, and spaced rods on said board receivable in said slot to permit movement of said board in any direction to guide a spinning element thereon.

13. A game board, a base for said board, a standard rotatably and removably mount able at different points on said base, said standard having a slotted upper end, a roller rotatably mounted in said slot, and spaced rods on said board receivable in said slot on said roller to permit easy movement of said board in any direction to guide a spinning element thereon.

14. A game board, a game designated on said board by markings and forfeits or hazards, valuations on said markings and forfeits, a handle on one end of said board to manually control the same, a rod on an opposite portion of said board, and a supporting standard having a slot therein for said rod to slidably and tiltingly support said board to guide a spinning top thereon to said markings escaping said hazards.

15. A game board, a game designated on said board by different markings and hazards in the form of fields, circles and openings, a handle on one end of said board to manually control the same, a rod in the opposite end of said board, a second rod central of the under slide of said board, and a support having a slotted upper end to interchangeably and pivotally and slidably support said board to guide a spinning top thereon through said markings and hazards.

16. A game board, a handle at one end of said board to manually control the same, a pivotal support for said board at or near the opposite end thereof, a base and a broad support on said base near said handle to rest said board thereon in combination with said pivotal support when not playing.

17. A game board, a handle at one end of said board to manually control the same, a pivotal support for said board at or near the opposite end thereof, a base, and a drop leaf support on said base across said board near said handle to support said board when not in use and drop out of the way of said board when raised from said leaf.

18. A game board, a base for said board, a

rotatable standard on said base having an opening in its upper end, and a projection on said board tiltably engaging in said opening.

19. In a game board, a base, a support turnably mounted on the base, a board, and means to tiltingly and slidably connect the board to said support.

20. In a game, a rotatable support, a board, and means to connect the board to the support so as to allow the board to tilt and upon a second movement of the board to effect rotation of the support.

21, In a game, a base, a post rising therefrom, means to movably mount the post on the base, a board, and means between the board and post to allow the board to be tilted universally and bodily slide relative to the post.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE B. HARRINGTON.

Witnesses:

G. V. SWANsoN, A. RICHARDS. 

